Former tabloid editor and America’s got talent judge Piers Morgan, has been relieved of duty from the CNN Tonight program after 3 years in the prime-time talk show hot seat vacated by Larry King.

Morgan told The New York Times it had been “a painful period” for the show. And he was right, as well as plunging ratings, he had an unwelcome involvement in the gun ownership debate, which many thought he should keep his nose out of. He said, “Look, I am a British guy debating American cultural issues, including guns, which has been very polarising, and there is no doubt that there are many in the audience who are tired of me banging on about it.”

CNN VP of communications, Barbara Levin told AFP that ‘Piers Morgan Live’ is ending. The date of the final program is still to be determined”. That is expected to be during March, as to his future, CNN refused to comment but he has indicated that he may get a new role at the channel following the end of the show, probably in March.

Experiencing this year’s Presidential election debates in the United States is going to be easier than ever before, as CNN is introducing a new way to view live content on nearly any device connected to a cable service or the internet. The company’s digital arm, CNN Digital, will begin offering an interactive Live TV broadcast for mobile devices and tablet computers.

Those connected to the net during four nights in October will have access to not only live feeds from CNN, but will also get analysis and live coverage. Viewers watching the debates through a computer on CNN.com will have, for the first time, to share clips and important moments literally within seconds after they occur through a new “Clip & Share” feature.

“Presidential debates shouldn’t be a passive activity for viewers. The issues and policy addressed on stage will impact every American – and the world,” said KC Estenson, SVP of CNN Digital. “Because of their global significance, CNN will offer the stream to all cnn.com users and provide everyone the opportunity to view, share and participate in the debates this fall.” CNN will be one of the first 24/7 cable news network’s to offer such a service to viewers.

Having a new way to experience the all important debates in this year’s Presidential election is hoped to engage a younger audience and introduce them to concepts they may have never paid much attention to. With the ability to watch a live Presidential debate no matter your location, CNN looks to engage viewers in places never thought possible before.

The CNN app will display live feeds in high definition, and closed captioning will be integrated into the feeds as well. CNN.com is set to debut it’s new “Clip & Share” feature on October 3rd and offers viewers a DVR-like service for watching the debates. The feature will enable users to create powerful short clips and share them across a variety of social networks, further engaging friends and family to share opinions on the must-see TV moments.

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CNN have lined up well-known documentary maker and TV presenter Morgan Spurlock with his next assignment, as he prepares to host a new series on the network starting next year.

Set to premiere in April 2013, Spurlock will create and star in unscripted reality series Inside Man, where he will go undercover to various ‘lesser-seen’ industries and groups of America and uncovering more information about them.

A CNN network statement on the show read: “Each week Spurlock will provide an insider’s view into rarely-seen sectors of American life that include gun lovers, marijuana growers, migrant farm workers, and end-of-life caregivers.”

It is believed that the plans represent the network’s intention of using informative reality series as a means of picking up their current ratings, with an Anthony Bourdain-hosted travel show scheduled to air at a similar time of year on the cable news network.

CNN’s managing editor Mark Whitaker said of his excitement at recruiting Spurlock and his ‘creative and thought-provoking documentary story-telling': “Like Anthony Bourdain’s new CNN series, Inside Man will carry the distinctive stamp of its host while taking viewers on colourful and informative journeys into fascinating corners of American society.”

Best known for his 2004 cinematic release of Super Size Me (in which he ate nothing but McDonald’s meals for a month, and explored the restaurant’s activities), Spurlock has also seen success with documentaries such as Where in the World is Osama bin Laden?, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3D – On Ice!, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold , ESPN 30/30 episode The Dotted Line, and Hulu origina series A Day In The Life. Despite its much shorter title, will Inside Man manage to join that list?

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CNN was the original 24 hour TV news network, and for a long time the top destination for news around the world. But it seems the internet age is having a very negative effect on the pioneering channel.

CNN are on the slippery slope

They are currently experiencing their lowest ratings for 20 years and have halved their audience share in the last year, according to Nielsen. This is not just a blip, the channel that revolutionised news is in freefall.

So what has caused this very dramatic fall from grace? The introduction of rival 24 hour news channels has not helped. Both MSNBC and Fox rolling news channels are now beating CNN in every important time slot. Then we have the internet, used when people want to check out the news instantly or look more indepth at a story, they Google it. Nothing beats the web for immediate and comprehensive coverage.

The Independent say that CNN’s problem is that viewers only really come when a big story breaks. The story says that when it’s a slow news month, the ratings plummet, for example:-

May 2012 was particularly tough because it was a relatively quiet news month – whereas May 2011 saw the killing of Osama Bin Laden and major tornadoes in Missouri and Alabama.

Unlike rivals, the story points the finger at a lack of change by CNN, and failure to adapt to the new information age. Even bringing in the high profile Piers Morgan, who replaced Larry King on his live interview show has been a flop. After initial success, he cannot match the established and well loved anchor man. Compared to King’s average 600,000 viewers, Morgan gets around 417,000.

Twenty four hour news network, CNN are planning to give their digital distribution a boost as they struggle to compete with rival news services from FOX News and MSNBC, especially on connected devices.

CNN looking to boost online presence

The network which is owned by Time Warner is looking to buy up new companies to help improve content and push the service on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.

CNN want to push the TV everywhere concept even more, as they try to make up ground with rivals. According to Nielsen, CNN are behind Fox News for viewers during prime-time with average daily numbers of 703,000 compared wto Fox’s 1.86 million and MSNBC’s 778,000.

Although CNN already have a streaming service for PC and mobile devices, President Jim Walton speaking to Bloomberg said, “As more tablets are sold and smartphones, it’s only going to continue to grow,” CNN are looking at companies to help bolster its content portfolio and gain access to more mobile and set-top boxes. He continued, “I wouldn’t rule anything out, but our focus is on digital.”.

Viewers can now watch the news from CNN online. A simulcast from CNN is available from their website and on Apple devices including iPad, iPod and iPhone. Time Warner said it will add other mobile devices in coming months.

Watch CNN anywhere

Users will be able to watch the latest live news streaming from the international news VOD platform, which requires mobile users to download an applications to their iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

The streaming news feed is available to users for free – but only if they happen to subscribe to a cable packag. Both CNN and Headline News (HLN) can be watched by subscribers of AT&T, Comcast, Cox, DISH Network, Suddenlink and Verizon.

Speaking for CNN Digital, general manager KC Estenson said, “CNN is taking a significant step forward by offering live CNN to our audiences, whether they are on their couches at home or have their toes in the sand on the beach.”

The CNN brand is available in over 200 countries and the streaming news is available from CNN.com if you wish to see the feed.